Incognito
by Trumpeteer34
Summary: With the Battle of Manhattan behind them, there is a surge in interest in Captain America, and Steve finds himself constantly being recognized on the street. He turns to Bruce to teach him how to blend into a crowd. Along the way, the lessons start to feel more and more like dates. Eventual Steve/Bruce. Fluff.


I wrote this for the kinkmeme in the summer: _After the battle in New York, there's a renewed flood of public interest in Captain America. Steve's OK doing some publicity here and there, but not really comfortable at all being a "dancing monkey" all the time. Sometimes he'd like to be anonymous again, able to just walk down the street and blend in._

_He turns to Bruce, who has years of experience blending into a crowd. Bruce helps Steve "schlub up" and teaches him some tricks for not standing out. They start going out into the city together to test it out, and as they do, they end up having a really good time together. Enough that they keep doing "test runs" that start to feel suspiciously more and more like "dates"... eventually Bruce/Steve ensues._

I do not own any of the named characters present. They belong to Marvel. This was written purely for fun.

* * *

**Incognito**

"Captain America! Captain America!"

Pausing in the middle of stretching his arm across his chest, Steve hesitantly glanced over his shoulder toward the source of the call. He internally cursed and just barely managed to keep from sighing when he saw the small stampede of journalists rushing toward him. He momentarily considered jogging off, as that had been his original plan for the morning. He certainly hadn't penciled in being harassed by the media.

Regardless, he plastered on his Captain America smile and resigned himself to never taking another jog around the city ever again.

* * *

A week later, Steve had just finished working out in Stark Tower's state-of-the-art gymnasium that he had been frequenting more and more since his impromptu interview. He stepped out of the elevator and onto the communal floor, on his way to grab a bottle of water.

He paused in the doorway when he found Bruce in the kitchen, his head in the refrigerator and studying the tomato he was holding with the same intensity he used down in the laboratories. There was a piece of paper on the counter next to the fridge with his loose handwriting scrawled over it.

"Good morning, Dr. Banner," Steve greeted the man after he watched for a moment longer.

Bruce pulled his head out of the fridge long enough to shoot Steve a warm smile. "Good morning, Steve." And then he was straight back to his inspection.

An amused smile crossed the soldier's face at how analytical the man was being with the produce. He simply watched for a few more seconds before he stepped into the room. "I'm surprised to see anyone else up this early," he commented as he reached over Bruce to grab a bottled water from the refrigerator door.

The physicist shrugged lightly. "I'm normally up by now anyway, just not out and about," he replied easily. He stood upright and jotted the word _tomatoes_ onto the sheet of paper next to him. "I sort of tend to wake up with the sun. I'm just either in the labs by now, or meditating or something."

"Oh," Steve said, just for the sake of saying something. He took a generous drink from the water bottle as he observed Bruce start to inspect the carrots with the same intensity as before. "What are you up to?" he heard himself ask before he could censor himself.

"I'm just getting ready to walk over to the farmer's market," Bruce answered without looking up. "It's my turn to cook the team meal tonight, and all of the ingredients here aren't fresh enough."

Steve watched Bruce close the refrigerator and jot down something else on his list. "Would you like some company?" he asked after a moment's hesitation.

Bruce paused to glance over at the super soldier. "Sure, if you want to. I'd like the company."

Steve grinned. "Great. Do I have time to take a quick shower and change?" He waited for Bruce's nod before he headed back to the elevators. "I'll be back shortly."

* * *

When Steve returned to the communal floor, he immediately froze when he saw Bruce. The physicist was seated at the kitchen island, glasses perched on the end of his nose and going over his list. It wasn't his actions that surprised Steve, but the attire the man had changed into. He had thrown on a too-large thread-bare sweater and had traded out his cargo pants and loafers for jeans and actual tennis shoes. There was a baseball cap next to him on the counter that had seen better days.

It was strange to Steve, but it all looked so…so average.

Bruce glanced up from his list. He turned toward Steve; he looked like he had wanted to say something, but paused as he quietly took in Steve's appearance.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. You ready to go?" Steve asked, although his voice trailed off when Bruce frowned. "What?"

Bruce glanced back up to Steve's face. "Nothing…it's just…" He looked at Steve's clothes again. "We're going to be harassed by the media if you go out like that."

Steve frowned and looked down at himself. His blue and white checkered shirt was neatly tucked into his kakis pants. He didn't look any different from usual. "Why, what's wrong with this?"

"There's nothing wrong with it," Bruce explained, "it's just too _Captain America._ You'll be recognized in an instant."

Steve grimaced. "Think so?"

"Steve," Bruce deadpanned, "you are the second most recognizable person in the country right now. Trust me, the vultures will descend."

The super soldier took that in for a moment, glancing back down at himself, before he looked back at Bruce. "Who's number one?"

A small smile appeared on Bruce's face. "That is, and always will be, Tony Stark."

A laugh escaped from the soldier. "I guess you're right."

Bruce's smile widened and he slid off of the barstool to approach Steve. "Come on," he said as he lightly clapped the blond man on the arm and gently steered him back to the elevator. "Let's find you something a little less _Captain America_ and a little more _Steve."_

Once they were on the elevator, the soldier paused. "But what if I'm recognized, and the press…?"

After pushing the button to Steve's floor, Bruce turned a curious look up at Steve. "Do you want them to?"

"No!" Steve rushed to say. Bruce raised an eyebrow, and Steve cleared his throat, a little embarrassed, and stared at his reflection in the elevator doors. "No. I mean…I'm fine with doing _some_ publicity, but I just…"

Bruce waited patiently for Steve to continue his thoughts.

Steve heaved a weary sigh and ducked his head. "Being surrounded by cameras when I just want to go jogging is a little overwhelming. I got sick of being a dancing monkey, after I first took the serum, really fast. It just feels like it's happening all over again. I hate not having the freedom to go out and do things, all because some reporter wants an exclusive interview or whatever. It's stifling."

Bruce nodded his head and hummed sympathetically. "Well, we should be able to avoid that this morning."

When Steve glanced over at the physicist, Bruce offered a warm smile that the soldier couldn't help but return.

* * *

Steve could hardly believe it. He found himself standing in the middle of a busy part of the farmer's market, staring around in wonder at the chaos going on around him.

Chaos that didn't involve him.

He was standing next to Bruce, who was looking over a bin of peppers and occasionally picking one up to feel it. No one was paying either of them any mind. It was absolutely freeing.

And to think, he could have avoided all of his past experiences with the press by simply wearing his clothes differently.

Bruce had picked out a simple outfit of things Steve would normally wear. The only differences, really, were the baseball cap, the jacket, and the instructions from the scientist on how to wear the outfit. Instead of tucking in the shirt tails of his button-down, they were left hanging. Instead of buttoning up all the way, he left the top two open. The jacket he had donned wasn't the leather motorcycle jacket he had, but instead a dark grey cotton one with a zipper, so dark it was almost black. He was now wearing jeans and his boots as well, and with the blue baseball cap pulled over his blond hair, he was deemed acceptable for the outdoors.

It was remarkable. He didn't feel like someone else at all. He just felt like himself, only dressed down, relaxed. He felt like _Steve._

He happily followed Bruce around to the different stalls whenever Bruce would duck his head to look at his list while he dragged Steve off to a different area of the market. He carried the different bags of vegetables and other things he didn't know the names of. The physicist would smile and explain each item Steve admitted to not knowing, and then how it would be incorporated into the Indian dish he was making that night.

The two of them went around the entire market in that fashion, picking up different vegetables and fruits and chatting together contentedly.

"I can't believe it," Steve said in wonder on their way back to the tower, both of them carrying bags of fresh produce. "If I had known it was as easy as wearing my clothes different…"

Bruce chuckled. "It's not that easy," he said. When Steve gave him a curious look, he glanced behind them at the way they had come. "You still stood out enough to garner some attention," he admitted.

Steve opened his mouth to say something, but then he remembered how Bruce had dragged him around the market, supposedly because the next thing on his list was on the other side of the market, and they had _absolutely_ needed to go by the list. He hadn't even given it a second thought; he was just happy to be outside without being heckled by the press.

When the soldier deflated ever-so-slightly, Bruce patted him consolingly on the back. "I can show you how to blend into a crowd a bit more, if you'd like," he offered gently.

Steve gave the physicist a hopeful look. "You'd teach me?"

"Absolutely," Bruce responded. "You should have the same freedom to walk around the street as anyone else without being accosted by the media."

Steve positively beamed. "That'd be great, Dr. Banner. Thank you!"

"It's not a problem," Bruce replied with a smile. He paused for a moment. "And Steve? Please, just call me Bruce."

* * *

The air on the communal floor was heavy with the scent of different spices and freshly homemade tomato sauce. The five Avengers (Thor was back in Asgard for the foreseeable future) plus Pepper were seated around the dining table, digging into the vegetarian korma that Bruce had prepared for the group. There were noises of approval from around the table.

"This is awesome, Bruce," Clint said after he swallowed. He scooped up another fork-full and glanced over at the doctor. "Is that ginger I taste in here?"

"It is," Bruce replied before he took a sip of tea.

"That was the weird root thing we picked up this morning, right?" Steve asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Bruce glanced over at him and smiled. "Yes. It's just been minced up."

Pepper looked up in surprise and gazed over at Bruce. "So that was you in those photos with Steve?"

"Photos?" Steve immediately repeated, dread coming over him. He turned a look over to Bruce, who shrugged helplessly.

"Yes," Pepper replied. "They appeared this afternoon. JARVIS?"

Immediately, the AI displayed the photos in question, taken with a cell phone, on a nearby screen from a local news provider. There are only two photos, both clearly Steve, but he was in motion in both of them, glancing down. Had the bill of his cap been any higher, they'd have known he was looking down at the man next to him as he was hurried away to a different table. The headline below the better of the two pictures was something cheesy about Captain America's All-American diet, with a subtitle of how superheroes always shop local and shop fresh, and _you should too!_

Clint snorted. "Yeah, I'm really enjoying your "All-American" Indian food, doc," he said before he took another bite of the korma.

Pepper patted Steve's hand when he continued to stare at the news article. "At least you weren't interviewed, right?"

Steve looked away from the screen over to Pepper at that. He brightened. "You're right," he said, and then glanced over at Bruce, who was studying the photos. "We weren't bothered at all."

Bruce peered over and smiled. "No, it was nice."

* * *

The following morning, after Steve had completed his work-out, he grabbed one of the history books he had been given. He was reading in the communal living room until about 11:20 when Bruce walked in, looking around.

The physicist spotted him on the sofa. "Hi, Steve."

Steve glanced up from his reading and smiled when he found the man. "Good morning, Dr. Ba—Bruce," he caught himself.

Bruce smiled in return. "Do you have some free time?" he asked. When Steve nodded, Bruce continued. "Excellent. Care for your next lesson?"

The soldier beamed and closed the book. "Absolutely; just let me go change. Anything I should avoid?"

"Blue tops," the physicist immediately replied. He handed over a different hat. "You stand out too much in blue; it's too much like your uniform."

Steve took the jade-ish green hat from the other man with a grateful smile. "Will do. I'll be right back."

A rush of pride went through him when he returned, wearing something else that immediately got Bruce's approval. They headed out together, leaving the building from one of the side entrances, and were soon walking down the semi-calm streets of Manhattan. Steve didn't have any idea where they were off to, but Bruce seemed sure-footed, so he didn't worry.

When they came to a stop in front of a café, the only feeling that went through the soldier was surprise. They stepped through the doors and started to approach the counter just as casually as could be.

Bruce glanced over his shoulder at the super soldier. "Have you been here before?" he asked.

Steve shook his head. "Can't say I've explored too much of the city," he admitted.

"I haven't been here either, but Tony raves about their sandwiches," Bruce disclosed as he looked at the menu over the register.

The barista noticed them then, and the two put in their orders. Once the total was given, Steve insisted on paying.

He silenced Bruce's protests with a look. "You're helping me out. This is the least I can do in return."

They were interrupted by the barista, who chuckled to herself. She looked over at Bruce. "He doesn't look like he's going to back down, sir," she said.

Bruce sighed, sounding put-upon, but he was smiling. "If my friend here is one thing, miss, it's stubborn."

Steve grinned when the barista laughed, and then handed over the fancy bank card he had been given shortly after waking up from the ice. She rung them up, handed them their sandwiches and drinks, and then wished them a good day.

It wasn't until they were back outside that it hit him. He had gone into a café and wasn't recognized at all. Steve glanced down at Bruce in wonder, who had a knowing little smile on his face. "How did…?"

"We were just two friends grabbing lunch, not two superheroes out on the town," Bruce explained. He smiled fully up at the soldier. "Clothes are important, Steve, but appearance is everything."

They walked together to a nearby park and sat down on one of the benches that resided just outside the park, facing the surrounding city. There were street vendors around the block, parked on the corners and on open spreads of sidewalk, cooking up their particular foods. The air was a pleasant mixture of different spices and types of foods, as the variety of vendors came from several different cultures. Bruce and Steve were seated far enough from each of the vendors that there would be no chance of being recognized by anyone who happened to get in their line.

Bruce checked his watch. It was just about noon. "Now, it's almost the lunch-hour rush," he said to Steve before he took a small sip of the tea he had ordered. "The sidewalks are going to get insanely busy in a couple of minutes as folks on their lunch breaks go off to wherever they're going to grab food. They are on a limited schedule, and are otherwise preoccupied. We are simply going to watch."

Steve looked from the surrounding area back to the scientist. "We're just going to sit here?"

"And watch," Bruce added before he took a bite of his sandwich.

The soldier gave the man a curious look, but kept his thoughts to himself. Slowly, he unwrapped his sandwich and started to eat as the lunch hour began.

Almost immediately, the sidewalks began to get clustered, and a white noise of sound arose around them to join in with the scents of differing foods. Steve's eyes scanned the chaos while he chewed, and that same wonder from the previous day came over him as he watched people walk by them without a second glance.

He heard Bruce make an "ahh" noise next to him, and Steve glanced back down.

The physicist's gaze was trained sharply on something across the street. "Gentleman in the grey suit on the corner," he said without moving his head.

Steve tried to look over with the same lack of movement and quickly found the man in question. The fellow looked to be an accountant of sorts, or some sort of business man, nothing extraordinary. He was just standing on the corner with the other people who were waiting for the crosswalk signal to change. "…what am I looking for?" Steve asked when nothing jumped out.

"Watch how he carries himself," Bruce explained. "Look at his mannerisms."

Steve's eyes followed the man as he crossed the street. The man pulled out his cell phone for a moment, probably checking the time, before he tucked it back into his pocket. Once the phone was safely away, his head rose again and he floated along with the rest of the pedestrians, continuing on his way until he was out of sight.

The whole ordeal seemed entirely mundane. Steve glanced back over at Bruce, only to find the man looking expectantly up at him. "Uh…" Steve began eloquently, "he wasn't doing anything weird?"

"How so?" Bruce challenged.

Steve shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "He just did what he probably always does. He looked—" He paused when it dawned on him. "—normal."

"He looked _average,"_ Bruce elaborated. He took another sip of his tea. "Yesterday, you stood out because you were looking around at everything. When you were looking at whatever it was that I was showing you, you blended in." His eyes left the soldier to peer around the busy streets of Manhattan. "To blend in, you have to watch how everyone else moves, and then mimic that. Take right now, for instance. Right now, we're just two guys taking a lunch break together. There are probably dozens of other people doing that exact same thing." He shrugged lightly. "You just need to know the kind of environment you're stepping into, and then know immediately how to look just like everyone else."

The physicist paused to take another bite of his sandwich, giving the soldier time to let that sink in. Steve watched the man chew for a moment in silence. "How did you get to be so good at this?" he asked.

Bruce froze, and then swallowed the bite as his eyes went back to the streets. "When you're the only American in another country, hiding from the army, you start to pick up on these things," he replied quietly, a faint hint of bitterness coloring his words. His gaze fell to his lap, where his fingers fiddled absentmindedly with the wrapper around his sandwich. "You learn how to look just like everyone else, but also keep your face hidden. You either adapt to your environment, or you run before they come after you. It's…" he shrugged a little, "it's second nature to me at this point."

Another silence fell over them as Steve stared down at the man next to him, who hadn't lifted his head yet. The super soldier could easily imagine the loneliness Bruce had felt while on the run, how he had had to leave everything behind. It was somewhat similar to the loneliness Steve had felt before the Avengers—lost in the future without an inkling on how to adapt. Even with his fellow teammates all living together, he was still at a loss on how to interact with the new century.

"Thank you, Bruce," Steve said quietly, breaking the hush. When Bruce glanced over at him, the soldier smiled. "Thank you for teaching me all of this."

Bruce returned the smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Steve fought the frown that wanted to appear on his face and unwrapped a bit more of his sandwich. "So tell me about how you came across that dish from last night. You learned that in India, right? Who taught you?"

A real smile crossed Bruce's face, and he began to tell a story about the Indian family he had helped during a harvest season a few years ago. Steve listened, and as the story progressed, he couldn't help but feel like he was now in Bruce's shoes, and Bruce was like the elderly Indian woman from his story. Steve was glad to be learning, but more than that, he was grateful for the friendly company that was steadily chasing away the loneliness.

When they both laughed during a part of the story, warmth began to settle in the soldier's belly, chipping away the icy cold that had been there since he woke up. He had never been more grateful for a friend.

* * *

For the next week and a half, Steve met up with Bruce to head out into the city. They'd get lunch somewhere, trading off on paying for each other's meal, and then take a seat on a bench somewhere and people-watch. Once Steve got comfortable with that, Bruce sent him off to one of the street vendors for a test run of his new skills.

Steve came back victorious with a grin on his face and two servings of some sort of wrap in his hands.

Each day they went out, it felt less like a lesson in stealth and more just like he was hanging out with a friend. They shared stories, Steve with his tales from the war and the shenanigans he and Bucky would get into as kids, and Bruce with his tales from around the world and the people he met.

Every time Bruce's face lit up with a smile, that warmth would return full force to Steve's stomach, and he'd feel a little lighter. The super soldier really grew to enjoy their time together on the streets of Manhattan, just chatting and laughing with each other. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time.

* * *

That Friday morning, Steve found himself standing outside Bruce's lab. He had two Styrofoam cups in either hand, one a coffee and the other a chamomile tea, and a flyer tucked under one of his arms. He took a deep breath, and then entered the laboratory.

After a moment of searching, he spotted the physicist across the room, peering down into a microscope. "Hey, Bruce," he said.

Bruce looked up from the piece of lab equipment at the voice. When his eyes found Steve, his face lit up with the warm smile that had started to do strange things to Steve's stomach. "Good morning, Steve."

Steve returned the smile in full and approached the lab table where Bruce was working. "Do you…um, have any plans for tomorrow?" he asked, not quite sure why he felt mildly nervous. When Bruce shook his head, the soldier set down the coffee and handed Bruce the flyer. "I stopped by a coffee shop this morning—wasn't recognized—and saw a pile of those on the counter. I think it'd be a fun way to test everything you've taught me so far." He carefully watched Bruce's face as the scientist's eyes roved over the information printed on the slip of paper.

When he finished, Bruce looked up and smiled. "This looks like a great way to put your new skills to the test, _and_ it looks like a lot of fun. When do you want to head over tomorrow?"

An odd feeling of elated relief went through Steve, but he managed to hide it from his face. "It starts mid-morning. I'm thinking we can meet up and head out around nine-ish?"

"Sounds like a plan. I haven't been to one of these in ages," Bruce said, grinning as he looked back down at the flyer.

Steve beamed, and then remembered the tea he was holding that he had picked up for Bruce. He handed it over, and asked what the other man was working on.

* * *

After they had finished the breakfast Steve had whipped up for them, they headed out. They took Steve's motorcycle, as parking at city events are always terrible, and as Steve was driving, he found himself focusing on how much he liked the feel of Bruce pressed up against him, holding onto him. His stomach did the weird floppy thing all the way to Brooklyn.

There was a large crowd gathered for the annual Brooklyn Folk Festival, from young couples to families, all out to listen to great music. Before long, Bruce and Steve were through the gates and were walking through the enormous crowd of people, occasionally dodging strollers and the random children running around underfoot.

Steve had never been to an event like this before, but after one look at the other man, he realized Bruce was right at home. As they wandered around toward the first stage, they came across several different vendors, selling anything from CDs and t-shirts to refreshments and souvenirs. They passed by the food venue, which filled the air around them with the smell of freshly cooked foreign dishes. It was a delightful combination of spices that accompanied the heavy percussion from the stage they were approaching.

The longer they walked, the more pleased Steve was. Bruce had let the soldier dress them both that morning, and it looked like his choices had been accurate. They blended right in, and no one had any idea that two Avengers were in their midst.

The first stage they stopped at was a Kenyan group. There was such an energy that radiated from each performer, be it the percussionist or the dancers at the front of the stage, and it spread through the crowd gathered. It had been a long time since Steve had been in a group so large and for the energy to be so positive. Children were dancing toward the front of the stage, people were laughing and clapping along to the music, there was a small group of girls with hula-hoops that were off to the side...the whole scene was overwhelming happy.

But as much as Steve watched the musical performances and the people surrounding them, he found himself watching Bruce's face more often than not. He got to see how the man's eyes lit up when they would find a stage with music from countries he had lived in. He got to see each smile that would appear on the man's face when the performers would start a song that he recognized, or when he recognized the dance the performers were dancing. Steve couldn't help but smile each time he caught a smile on Bruce's face, and that feeling in his stomach would return.

They spent several hours wandering around the festival and listening to several different kinds of music from around the world. During a lull in the music sometime in the afternoon, Bruce started studying the map he had picked up, which contained a schedule of the performances.

Bruce grinned. "We need to head over to the main stage," he announced.

Steve didn't protest, and only smiled and let Bruce drag him off to another stage.

The new venue they approached was in between performances, but a crowd was already beginning to gather. Most of the seats were already taken, so they stayed off to the side, standing close together. Steve asked what they were about to see, but Bruce smiled and kept his mouth shut.

A round of applause went through the crowd as the next performers stepped onto the stage. They quickly settled themselves in their seats and, without any further ado, began to play.

The opening fanfare was met with wild applause from the audience, and the band settled into their first big band number.

Steve broke out into a huge grin when he recognized the tune to "Sing, Sing, Sing." Now _this_ music was familiar. This was the stuff that he and Bucky had snuck into jazz clubs to listen to as kids. He grinned when couples began to take to the dance floor set up between the chairs and began dancing. They didn't know how to swing dance at all, but it was both charming and funny to watch them try.

As the song broke into the solo section, Steve forced his eyes away from the scene and glanced down at Bruce. His stomach flipped in his core when he found Bruce watching him, a warm smile on his face and his eyes alive and shining with some emotion. Steve couldn't hope to identify whatever it was, but it made him blush. A smile rose unbidden to the soldier's face and he ducked his head momentarily.

When he looked back, Bruce was watching the dancers, still smiling. The lines around the doctor's eyes were crinkled with mirth, and Steve found the sight absolutely breathtaking.

And suddenly, the strange flipping in his stomach and warmth that would overwhelm him made sense. The realization hit him like a train: it was attraction. It was affection.

He _liked_ Bruce.

In the past, this sort of enlightenment would have terrified him, but right now, he wasn't frightened at all. As he stared at the man next to him, who had just lit up since they had gotten here, who had the most beautiful smile when it reached his eyes and made his laugh lines stand out, and he couldn't help but feel like this was so completely, undeniably _right._ He loved the time they had spent together over the past few weeks. He loved that they had felt less and less like lessons in stealth and more and more like informal dates. He loved that he could get the man's eyes to light up when they were gloomy, that he could get him to laugh and smile and relax.

Great day…he kind of loved him.

* * *

The mission went downhill pretty quickly. Whoever their villain of the week was had been ready for a team of Avengers with a Hulk. What their villain _wasn't_ ready for was how furious the remaining team members would be when they shot the Hulk with a strong enough sedative to make the goliath revert to Bruce in the middle of the battlefield.

Steve had watched in dawning panic as Bruce had collapsed to the road, completely unconscious. A bolt of terror went through him at the thought of the man being hurt in his vulnerable state. He was still trying to work out his newly found crush on the man, as he had been trying to figure out for the past week and a half of their sort-of-lunch-dates-slash-people-watching escapades after the festival. He had no idea if Bruce felt the same or what he should do about the situation, but he needed to do _something,_ and he wouldn't be able to if Bruce got hurt here. He had immediately called for Tony to get Bruce to safety, but the iron-clad man was already shooting across the battlefield to retrieve his lab partner.

The villain had managed to also shoot down their jet, which a SHIELD operative was flying, which in turn left them all stranded in a town three hours away from the tower.

Once Tony had returned from putting Bruce somewhere safe, the fight immediately turned in their favor, as they were all thoroughly pissed.

As soon as the fight was over, Steve rushed over to the alley where Bruce had been put. The man's heart was still beating, and his breathing was long and deep, but he was still unconscious. Steve heaved a sigh of relief and turned on his radio. He informed Tony, Clint, and Natasha of Bruce's condition, and then told them to check on their pilot in the shot-down jet. He asked them to call for another jet, and then to keep themselves out of the public's sight. Natasha informed him that SHIELD was about an hour away for the clean-up, and they'd have a means of returning home then.

Steve carefully took Bruce's unconscious form in his arms and hid them away before people could spot them.

Once the super soldier had gotten himself and Bruce settled and hidden from the public, he noticed the man was shivering. They were further north, so it was colder in the town they were in. After a moment's hesitation, Steve pulled the unconscious man against him to share his body heat. Bruce slowly stopped shivering, and Steve relaxed himself against the wall and listened to the others through his communicator.

It was maybe only twenty minutes later when Bruce started to stir. He woke up in Steve's arms, pressed against the soldier's torso.

Steve stared down at the man's face, whose eyes were hidden by his greying curls. "How do you feel?" he asked softly. He felt himself frown when Bruce groggily looked up at him with dazed and super dilated eyes, and then promptly blushed when Bruce grinned and snuggled closer to his body.

"You're very warm," Bruce slurred happily as he cuddled with the super soldier. "…and comfy."

"Bruce, are you alright?" Steve asked slowly in a concerned voice, staring down at Bruce with anxious eyes.

Bruce giggled _(giggled)._ "I just feel really, _really_ good."

The others must have heard through Steve's radio, because Clint and Tony started laughing. "Oh god, he's high, isn't he?" the archer asked between chuckles.

Steve held off on replying as Bruce pressed his face into the soldier's neck. He knew he was already blushing, but he was positive it darkened when the doctor let out a happy hum into his throat. "U-Uh…" the soldier said, and Tony and Clint immediately started laughing again.

After turning off his communicator, Steve tried to glance down at Bruce, but it only buried his chin into the man's curls. He tried really hard to not think about how soft the man's hair was or how his fingers itched to run through it. "Bruce?"

The physicist made a questioning hum sound.

"Are you alright?"

A moment passed before Bruce's eyes blinked open and he gazed up at Steve. "M'fine," he said with all the coherency of a drunkard. "Why?"

"Your pupils are kind of huge," Steve replied.

For some reason, that made Bruce grin again and tuck his face back into Steve's neck. "Whatever they shot me with was kind of strong," he slurred in response before he laughed quietly to himself, sounding completely unhinged.

Once Bruce had made himself comfortable against Steve's body, which made parts of the soldier's brain light up in glee and other parts darken in shame for being gleeful about anything in this situation, a comfortable silence swept over them. Steve spent the next few minutes listening to the sirens of the local police and EMTs going through the battlefield. His initial belief that Bruce had fallen back asleep was shattered when he heard the physicist's voice.

"Is this okay?" Bruce mumbled.

The soldier craned his head and looked down to see Bruce staring blearily across the room. "Is what okay?" he asked.

"You can push me off if I'm making you uncomfortable," the physicist offered, even as he curled more into Steve. He glanced up at the soldier.

Steve, in turn, tightened his arms around the man. He smiled at the happy and frankly adorable noise Bruce made in response. "Far from it, Bruce," he admitted quietly.

Bruce positively beamed. His head tilted up and he managed to press a semi-sloppy kiss to the corner of Steve's lips. Steve's mind immediately went blank and he blushed furiously, but Bruce was already snuggling his face back into Steve's neck. "Good," the physicist mumbled happily, "cause I like this."

* * *

The next day, Steve was wandering down toward Bruce's laboratory. He hadn't seen the man since they had gotten back to the tower yesterday, and the physicist had been asleep at the time. A nervous energy was running through him; he had to know if Bruce had only been so openly affectionate with him yesterday because of the drugs, or if the drugs had amplified something that was already there. It had kept him up most of the night. He needed to know.

As he was waiting for the elevator to head down, the doors opened to reveal Bruce. The soldier's heart jumped into his throat when Bruce met his eyes. They both watched each other for the briefest of moments before Bruce smiled, which was followed swiftly by Steve's own.

"Do you want to grab lunch somewhere?" the scientist asked him hesitantly.

Relief instantly flooded through the super soldier, and it felt heavenly. "Let me go change, and I'll be right back," Steve replied, and cherished the warmth that joined the relief flowing through him when Bruce's face lit up.

Before long, they were walking side-by-side down the Manhattan sidewalk, quiet but comfortable. They went back to the café they went to the first time they had gone out like this. The same barista was there as before; she recognized them only as repeat patrons, not as Captain America and the Hulk, and Steve smiled quietly to himself. They thanked her for the service and walked to the park to watch the lunch hour rush.

In their quiet conversation, stealth never came up. Instead, they just simply talked about anything that came to mind. It felt like any of their other outings, but as they ate, Steve not-so-subtly inched closer to the other man. If Bruce noticed, he didn't say anything, so the soldier continued scooting closer until they were nearly touching.

Bruce didn't look over at Steve, but his lips curled into a smile, the warm kind that made his face light up and his laugh lines wrinkle and made Steve's belly flip. Then the physicist scooted closer until they were touching, pressed lightly together from knee to shoulder.

Steve felt himself smile happily, and decided not to comment on whatever was happening between them. Instead, they kept eating and conversing together, sharing in each other's warmth.

Once they had finished their lunch and everyone else on their lunch break had retreated back to work, the two started wandering through the park. They walked slowly side-by-side, but closer than before, as their fingers lightly brushed against the other's from time to time.

"I was, um…" Bruce began slowly, ducking his head. "I was worried that I had overstepped something when I, um…kissed you yesterday." That last part came out a little rushed, and his cheeks reddened slightly. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Steve stared down at the physicist, who hadn't looked up yet. "You remember kissing me?" he asked, trying to sound casual even as a blush started to color his face.

"I remember everything, surprisingly," Bruce admitted. "First time that's happened after being sedated, to be honest. I, uh…hope it wasn't a problem."

"No," Steve said with forced nonchalance. "I mean, it's a pretty funny first kiss story…" he trailed off.

Bruce waited for Steve to continue the thought. "But…" he pressed, sounding a little anxious.

They came to a stop on an empty path in the park, and Steve glanced over to find Bruce looking at him. It made his heart pound to have Bruce staring at him so intensely. "I just, um…would like a proper one to call our real first kiss," he managed to sputter out. He immediately ducked his head to avoid looking at Bruce's reaction. "I-I mean, that is, if you _want_ to. I d-don't want to assume anything, and—"

"Steve."

The gentle sound of his name made the soldier look back at Bruce, only to have the air leave his lungs when the softest pair of lips he had ever felt pressed against his. The stunned feeling lasted for less than a second before Steve's eyes slipped shut and he returned the kiss with a smile. That light feeling swept over him when Bruce didn't step away, and his hands moved to Bruce's hips. They landed a little tentatively, but when he felt Bruce's hands travel to his arms, slowly moving to his shoulders, Steve's hands planted themselves a little more firmly on the doctor's sides. Bruce's hands left sparks in their wake as they traveled across the fabric of his jacket, and Steve had a sudden yearning to know how much more intense it would be when they traveled over bare skin.

It was a short, chaste kiss that ended far too soon for Steve's liking, but they slowly broke apart. Neither took a step back, instead remaining together with only inches between them, staring at the other and feeling lighter than air.

"You have the most gorgeous eyes," Bruce said softly after a moment, his own eyes dancing and alive. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to tell you to stop wearing blue outside? It makes your eyes just pop."

Steve laughed, and then leaned down to kiss the smile on Bruce's lips.

* * *

They had finished their walk around the park and returned to the tower hand-in-hand. They shared another chaste kiss outside of Bruce's lab.

When they broke apart, Bruce ducked his head and chuckled. "More of our dates should have ended like this."

"We've been dating?" Steve asked, not even trying to fight the smile that appeared on his face.

Bruce grinned, and pressed a light kiss against the soldier's smile. "We've been courting each other since the Folk Festival. You can't argue otherwise."

Lighthearted laughter escaped from Steve. He knew he couldn't argue, so he didn't. Instead, he lightly ran his fingers through the curls against Bruce's neck. "Well, how about a proper one? Or I guess a proper second one, if this one is the first proper date…" He trailed off when Bruce raised an amused eyebrow in inquiry. Steve smiled. "Will you have dinner with me? My floor, seven-ish tonight?"

The amusement on Bruce's face turned into affection, and Steve felt his belly flip again. He was growing to love that feeling. "I'd love to," Bruce answered.

Steve beamed, and planted another kiss on Bruce's smiling lips.


End file.
